


A Friendly Game

by Drakojana



Category: Video Blogging RPF, jacksepticeye - Fandom, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: A bit of torture, AU, M/M, Oneshot, for all dark/jack lovers out there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-12-01 20:35:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11494260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drakojana/pseuds/Drakojana
Summary: Jack's been kidnapped and all he can do is listen to this man that wants to play chess with him.





	A Friendly Game

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GalaxyGhosty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalaxyGhosty/gifts).



A dark room with no visible walls and no furniture in sight. A single, bare lightbulb hanging from the ceiling illuminates a chair, and a person sitting in it. For how long he's been here, Jack can't tell. He's lost the track of time after a couple of Dark's visits.

Dark. The man that kidnapped the unfortunate green-haired person insists on keeping him in this godforsaken place for unknown reasons, tied to the chair. And every time he comes down here, into this endless room, he asks for the same.

"Let's play a game of chess, shall we?"

One day when it happens, Jack doesn't bother answering. It's not going to change anything and he knows that. He doesn't have a choice here.

So Dark gracelessly pulls up a second chair and claps his hands as a wordless order. Two men, whose faces Jack has never seen, appear out of nowhere and with a table and a set of chess pieces. They put everything down and Dark watches them with an amused face. Once it's all done they disappear back into the shadows.

"I don't have to remind you the rules, do I?" Dark leans forward, that annoying smirk dancing on his lips. Jack wishes he could wipe it off, preferably with his fist.

He scowls in response. There is absolutely no reason for that man to constantly ask him before every single game. As if Jack could forget the pain of the punishments.

"Very well, then. I'm feeling generous today, so you get the white pieces." Dark turns the table around and Jack has no longer the black figures under his nose. His opponent muses. "Your turn."

Jack sighs. He feels someone untie the ropes binding him to the chair to release one of his arms. The other one stays tied, they don't allow him that much freedom. According to his kidnapper, one hand is more than enough to play chess.

Jack takes a pawn in his hand. Many times he's wondered if another possibility of starting exists. He could always go for a knight but that has never worked in his advantage. Nothing ever has. He's lost every single game he and Dark played. He moves his piece by two squares.

"Why do you still bother with me?" He asks the first question, eyeing the man sitting across the table suspiciously. The game has begun.

Dark leans back in the chair and reaches for his own pawn. He mimics Jack's move as he lazily pushes it forward. His other hand rests on the table, behind the second row of the black pieces. He thrums his fingers on the wooden surface as he thinks of an answer.

"You know, I've stopped trying to understand why you always ask the same question, hoping for another answer." Dark closes his eyes for five seconds before he sends Jack a stare full of mocking pity. "But I will entertain you, nonetheless. Because I am looking for something very important to me."

"And I keep telling you, whatever it is, I don't have it." Jack rolls his eyes and his gaze jumps from a rook to a knight. He wonders whether he should try straightforward attack this time or go for castling first. In the end, he moves the rook out of its safe spot.

"Perhaps you're not aware of it." Dark muses. He moves his bishop by just one square. The melody he's playing with his fingers changes to a slower one. "But that's something we can work on. Are you afraid you're going to die here?"

Jack snorts. "No. Maybe only out of boredom. But if you wanted to kill me, you'd have done it by now. I have no value to you."

"That's a bit unusual answer for a regular person."

"I've figured out I'm just having a bad dream." Jack continues. As stupid as it sounds, he goes with it. "Shit doesn't add up here."

"I wonder how you're going to explain the broken fingers." A sinister smile appears on Dark's face.

Jack thinks about his move the whole time. Without any better ideas, he moves one of the knights into the third row.

"I've fallen asleep on my arm and just can't feel it." He shrugs. This time he's going to find out more about his kidnapper. "What do you do?"

The black bishop moves diagonally to face Jack's king, hidden behind the pawns.

"Thing you don't want to know about." Dark answers nonchalantly. "Or would rather not know if you were just anybody. But you're not anybody. So I'd say I find… certain people and make them offers they simply cannot refuse."

"Oh, really? What's my offer, then?" Jack asks as a joke. A joke that has terrible consequences.

Somebody approaches him from behind and he feels the cold metal of a pair of pliers on one of his fingers. A quiet snap, and he howls in pain. His head falls forward, his forehead resting on the table for a while as he pants heavily.

"What are you trying to gain by hiding yourself?"

"Motherfucker…" Jack growls before he lifts his head. "I dunno, I'm just living a normal life like any other human being!" He barks in response. It's hard to focus on the game with a bleeding, broken finger that's throbbing and making his mind go crazy from the pain. Still, he manages to move his piece without making a complete idiot out of himself. "Why am I here? Did you pick a random person, or does it really have a deeper meaning?"

Dark closes his eyes in thought.

"Technically, those are two questions… Please, try to stick to the rules next time." He makes a quick motion with his hand and another one of Jack's fingers snaps. The green-haired man shouts, tugging at the restraints and slamming his free fist on the table, making some pieces jump. "You are special. I wouldn't have picked just anybody."

"Special, my ass," Jack says as he grits his teeth. He channels as much fury as he can into his gaze but nothing seems to work on his opponent, who takes down one of his rooks.

"You've always been a bit feisty, haven't you?" Dark gives him a pitiful smile. He really does follow the rules, as he doesn't say anything afterwards. He knows how to play his own game and Jack hates how he can't get him on anything.

"Fuck off, you don't know shit about me." Jack doesn't take his eyes off the brunet as he makes his move. He's getting more and more distracted and he's about to feel the consequences. But anyone wouldn't be able to concentrate in his place. "How long do you intend on keeping me here?"

"Until you finally start talking." Dark rises from his chair and he changes the position of one of his knights on the chessboard. "Checkmate. I am disappointed, honestly. It was a rather short game."

Jack growls as he watches the other man leave with a smirk on his lips. Just before Dark disappears into the shadows, he looks back one more time.

"Better luck next time."

* * *

Jack doesn't bother counting how many visits Dark pays him before he slips up. But it's bound to happen sooner or later, and it just so happens to be right in the middle of another game. Every time he tries to be careful and every time he tries to make smart moves. It just doesn't go his way this time.

It's his turn and he's just made his move. Jack licks his lips. Maybe, just maybe his question won't make matters worse. He's not sure, though. It's his only chance nonetheless. So he takes a sharp breath and asks.

"Have we met before?"

Dark's hand is already holding his piece in the air, though he stops. The move is so obvious and right there, ready to end the game. But he does the last thing Jack expects from him.

"So you do remember." The way his voice rumbles in the room, bouncing off the walls with an echo is the exact opposite of his move. Instead of going for the ensured victory, his piece lands on the opposite side of the chessboard. "Whoops, my mistake. Seems my hand has slipped." He smiles and shifts his gaze to lock his eyes with Jack's as he retracts his hand and rests his chin on it.

Jack clicks his tongue. The game has just taken a turn for the worst. Dark's too perfect to make mistakes. He knows exactly how to play. There is absolutely no way he's missed his move, not when this situation is exactly what he's been building up to this whole time. He's done it on purpose, and there can be only one reason - he wants to keep the conversation going.

"I only figured there's gotta be more to this than I can think of. Not that I remember our previous meeting."

All he can do is speak with fake confidence. How he misses the old days when he wasn't scared of talking to strangers. As if the fact he can't move and has probably lost control over one of his hands has got anything to do with it.

"I'm sure you do. What a perfect liar you've become. But… I have warned you, that lies have their consequences as well." Dark's smile falters slightly but the tone of his voice does not change. In fact, it has more edge to it and Jack's eyes widen when he hears footsteps behind him.

"No fuckin' way! You can't prove that I lied!" He tugs on the restraints on the wrist, his free hand balls up into a fist. If they try to break another one of his fingers, he's ready to fight. "I don't know who you are, or what you want from me!"

"And you are right." Dark sighs and leans back in his chair. "You didn't care about our first meeting. And of course, you wouldn't know why I've got you now, after all this time." He crosses arms over his chest, waiting for Jack's move. He's a patient one, so he only signs his opponent with a nod of the head.

"After all this time?" Jack asks without thinking. Before he can realise what he's done, he feels immense pain in his index finger. He was planning on fighting back if the punishment was about lying but he knows it's not the case now. Two questions in a row, he's broken the rules. He hears - or maybe feels? - something snap and he's sure one of the joints is bent the opposite way of its natural position. After so many tortures all that he can do is grunt, he's got so used to the pain. "Gimmie a break, I was just thinking…" He lowers his voice.

"Then perhaps you should keep all your thoughts in the head, where they belong." Dark lifts an eyebrow. "Maybe it's the reason you keep losing."

Jack hates him. Why isn't Dark asking his own question, if it's his turn now? He's most likely waiting for the green-haired man to choose the piece he's going to play with just to distract him. Jack tries to be smart and goes for a pawn that's furthest away from the king on the chessboard. Maybe the distraction can work both ways. His choice seems to amuse Dark, as he chuckles and the smile on his face widens once again.

"How long are you going to keep this ridiculous facade up?"

"What kind of question is that supposed to be…" Jack mumbles under his breath. "I don't know what you're talking about. I have nothing to offer to you unless you want my fingers this bad. Then go ahead and cut them off, if you like them so much. Hell, you can rip my whole hand off and let me go!"

Dark narrows his eyes and knocks the pawn off the board with one of his knights with such force that the piece rolls off the table.

"This is your last turn." He warns Jack and there's a hint of annoyance in his expression. "Your last chance to redeem yourself."

Jack couldn't care less. He can't win, anyway. So he gets rid of the pesky knight with a bishop. That move makes Dark laugh despite the serious atmosphere the man has just set.

"What are you looking for?" He spits out, relying purely on his luck. If Dark doesn't answer this question, then he's clueless and most likely doomed. And sure, he gets his response. It's exactly what Jack doesn't want to hear but is expecting.

"You." Dark rests a single finger on his own bishop. "The real you."

"Well, too fuckin' bad, because he's right here and you must be blind." Jack sneers. "I'm guessing you have one last question for me if you haven't destroyed me yet."

"See, you're smart when you want. Such a pity you won't put that effort into our games." Dark muses and pushes the figure so it slides over the squares. He speaks before the piece reaches its destination.

And again, Jack doesn't want to hear it. It hurts and it terrifies him. But the question gets asked and he can't avoid it.

"Why do you still pretend you're a good person?"

He's right. How long can he keep this up? No matter what Jack is going to say, he's already given himself away to Dark. Or maybe Dark doesn't pretend about his knowledge and he truly knows about everything. Jack thinks of the vaguest answer he can say.

"Because I believe past mistakes don't define a human. I am who I am." He feels proud of that one. Even if he's basically lost another game just now.

Dark takes his hand off his piece. He stands up without a word and disappears, leaving Jack alone once again. The green-haired man huffs when someone pulls his free hand back and his wrists together just to leave him like that. They turn off the light when they leave and Jack allows himself to smile when there's nobody to see his smirk.

"Checkmate, you bastard."

* * *

All good things eventually come to an end. The same goes for Dark's patience. One day when he comes down to visit Jack, he looks rather on edge. The green-haired man thinks it's a great opportunity to piss off his abductor. He's never been very careful when it comes to annoying others for his own satisfaction so he's willing to take this risk, betting his life on the line.

"What's wrong? Afraid you may lose?" Their game starts in silence but after a couple of moves, Jack finally asks his carefully picked question. Dark never specified whose turn it is so he may as well take this chance.

"Two questions." The brunet mutters and Jack simply grits his teeth, preparing for another twisted joint. The pain never comes, though. Jack watches Dark move his piece, his hand slightly trembling from surpassed anger. "I'm done with your bullshit. If you won't talk by yourself, I'll just have to make you."

"Then do it." Jack snaps. "Bring it on because I have nothing to hide."

He moves his bishop, making a mental note of his planned strategy for this game. His opponent makes a light gesture towards one of his ever-present men waiting behind Jack's back. The green-haired man is soon shown something completely new, as a hand wielding a knife shows up before his eyes.

"It seems the rules so far became quite boring to you. Why don't we spice things up?" Dark leans on his hands, not making his move quite yet.

"The fuck is this?" The question slips out of Jack's mouth before he can stop it and he clicks his tongue at the wasted chance. He didn't even have to ask it, he perfectly understands what it means.

The knife isn't your typical kitchen utensil. Its blade is twisted into a spiral and all three of its edges are sharpened enough to perfectly reflect the dim lighting of the single lightbulb. Jack tries not to appear nervous but he's very much aware of the fact just what exactly it is.

"We won't break your little fingers anymore. The next time you lie, my man will use this knife. Surely, you understand the consequences?" Dark smirks a little, noticing the panic in Jack's eyes. He finally makes his move, choosing a rook.

"I see you're not even trying to be gentle anymore." The green-haired man sighs, his breath shaky. "Why are you so persistent?"

"Haven't I told you, it's something very important. And if you don't stop playing dumb, I will not hesitate to fuck your whole arm up." Dark's own facade of the calm and collected person starts to fall apart. His deep, brown eyes scan Jack's face for any clues of emotion, all while trying to hide his own.

"Sure, important. I'll admit, this whole thing is getting boring to me. You keep giving me the same damn answers." The green-haired man's knight jumps over three squares.

"So do you. It's only fair I return the favour." Jack's bishop falls victim to one of Dark's figures. So much for his strategy. "If I don't get any sort of satisfying answers to my next questions, you're as good as dead."

"You may as well do it right now because as I said, I have absolutely no fucking idea what you want from me."

It's a risky sentence but Jack has thrown his carefulness away some time ago. Maybe dying is not such a bad option, given what he's been through.

"Your time to stall has run out. Now…" Dark watches Jack think about his next move. Their game is already longer than any previous ones. He scowls a bit, thinking that the green-haired man didn't put effort into it before. But the real game is one of the questions. Who can get to the other first. And he knows he's about to win. He always wins. "Tell me. Have you ever killed someone?"

Jack eyes him as he puts up a new line of defense around his king. He makes sure to maintain the unwavering eye contact as he gives his answer.

"No. I'd never do anything like that."

Dark only snaps his fingers. Jack understands. He doesn't know if something gave him away, maybe a twitch of his lips or the choice of his words but they know he's lied. He inhales sharply and shuts his eyes, preparing for the blade. It's going to hurt like hell, he knows it. The moment the blade goes through his hand, he's fucked. There will be no saving it.

But again, the pain he's expecting doesn't happen. In fact, nothing does for a while. He allows himself to open his eyes only when he hears Dark's laugh.

He stares at his opponent in bewilderment. "What the hell is so funny?" He growls, impatience taking over him. Damn bastard isn't even following his own rules.

"Oh, you've just admitted to it. All of this illusion you tried so hard to build up - destroyed. Ready to show your true colours, I see." Dark lazily moves his queen for the first time in this game. "Do you want to know how I knew you lied?"

Jack clicks his tongue. So he really did slip up somehow. "Enlighten me, then." He doesn't deny it. It's the truth and they both know it.

"You didn't fight back." Dark gestures to the green-haired man's free hand that he uses for the game. "You're so feisty, ready to defend your truths but when you know you lie, you don't even try to."

So that's it. Jack glances at his hand before his gaze returns to the black-haired man.

"Well. So much for playing around." He says, twisting his other wrist. The rope's been loose for quite some time now but he didn't want his captors to find out. He stays in this position for a bit longer, he needs to ask the final question first. "Just so we're on the same page here, and this isn't a big, big misunderstanding." He smiles widely as he leans forward, an expression he hasn't worn in years. "Who am I?"

"Jack McLoughlin. Or should I say, _Septic Eye_."

Jack takes a deep breath through his nose. With a flick of his wrist, the rope falls down from it, freeing it completely. It still hurts like hell, his mangled fingers but he manages. So he rests it on the table and that doesn't go unnoticed by Dark, whose eyes narrow at the sight.

"Fuck. You know, a part of me was hoping you wouldn't actually say that." He now wears this unnerving smile on his face and it feels good. It's like a part of him that was locked away is now free and happy to be out once again. "Still, I'm afraid the person you're looking for is gone."

"Bullshit." Dark seethes. "He's right fucking here. You're just a coward who's scared of his past."

Jack scrunches up his nose and moves his piece.

"Sorry to break this to you but people change. I'm thinking that you just picked a random nickname based on what I'm wearing." He wiggles his feet, though his opponent can't really see them through the table. But he knows that Dark is aware of the little green eyes on his sneakers.

"I don't believe in coincidences." Dark mutters and counterattacks immediately. "So can you stop with your unfunny jokes?"

"For all I care, it could be just some cheap merch of an empty internet icon who thought that septic eyes look cool." Jack snorts and the dark-haired man's rook gets pushed off the chessboard. He's finally started playing aggressively. "Now, how did you find me? Nobody has ever found out my real name so I must admit, I'm impressed."

Dark scoffs and considers his next move.

"The man that had requested that hit five years ago, he didn't trust you. Kept an eye on all of your activities and you didn't even know." His hand hovers over a knight but after a while, he retreats it. Jack's lips twitch in amusement, he didn't expect his opponent to suddenly get so considerate. "Don't get me wrong, though. He held you in high regard. He just didn't trust people who would refuse to join him."

"Ah, well. I like to have control over my own life." Jack already knows what he's going to ask next but he waits patiently for Dark's question.

Eventually, it comes and the black-haired man moves the knight anyway, getting dangerously close to Jack's rook.

"Did you really think it would work, that nobody would find you?"

The green-haired man ignores Dark's piece, chuckling at the poor choice. His strategy has either changed into a chaotic, unreadable mess or there is none at all at this point.

"I'll amuse you - yes, I did. For five years nobody has bothered me, and I had a good time living a peaceful life." His bishop gets into its position according to his plan. "Do you work for him and you're doing all the dirty work, trying to convince me to join his little band?"

"That's a rather long question." Dark hums in thought. Although the longer the game lasts, the fewer pieces are on the board, it gets tough to make the right choice without having to face major consequences later.

"Still, just a question." Jack rolls his eyes. The rules got boring some time ago and he wishes Dark would drop the shitty act.

"He used to be my boss. Right now, what I'm doing, is purely for myself."

"Aren't you a selfish bastard, then." Jack murmurs lightly.

He gets interrupted by a loud thud of a piece being placed down. The green-haired man knits his eyebrows. Dark's pawn gets closer to the edge of the chessboard and it's annoying to even think of.

"I went through all the trouble to find you. Do you have any fucking idea how tiresome it was? The best assassin in the area just disappears one day, and after four years I finally find out, what? He's never left, he's just pretending to be a goody two-shoes citizen!"

Jack's laughter echoes in the room, bouncing off the walls he's never seen. It makes Dark's eyes go wide in bewilderment, the display of sudden courage, disrespect even, is so unreal.

"Maybe I was fed up with that life." The green-haired man sighs with a smile still present on his lips. "I left for a reason."

"Then perhaps I have to yank that reason out of you." Dark scowls.

Jack only moves his piece and sends him a challenging glare, raising an eyebrow. He doesn't speak but his mouth forms the words "try me".

"How does it feel to kill someone?"

The green-haired man scratches his chin, feeling the stubble under his fingers. An interesting approach. Accurate, too.

"If you are expecting me to say that I got off of watching people drop dead from my bullets, you'll be disappointed." His eyes go over the whole chessboard again, checking if he didn't miss any potential threat. "Well, I didn't feel anything."

Dark closes his eyes for a minute, his face twisting in discomfort. But when he looks at Jack again, there's a glint of confidence in his gaze. He silently moves his pawn even further towards promotion.

"Yeah, my turn. I get it." He doesn't bother with the pawn just yet, it still needs two moves to reach the last row. "Why did you bother finding me out?"

"Because I need you."

The green-haired man swears he hears a hint of desperation in the deep, harsh voice. But that seems impossible. Still, it makes the smile disappear from his face, his mouth now forming a thin line. He watches Dark move his second rook.

"Why did you leave?" He sounds so honest for once, it feels foreign even on his own tongue.

Jack lowers his head, his fading hair covering his eyes from the other's stare. He needs to end this game. Quickly.

"I wanted to feel something."

He knows this game has to end as soon as possible. For his own good. He's running out of questions, somehow.

"What can you offer me, that would convince me?" His knight jumps gracelessly over some pawns.

"The fact that you're willing to reconsider my words is already something." Dark makes a careless move once again, focusing more on their conversation. "Well, did you find something more interesting?"

Jack grits his teeth. He hasn't lost his confidence, not yet. It just irritates him how easy it is to get to him right now.

"… No." He spits out. Another one of Dark's pieces has to leave the chessboard. "How the fuck did we meet?"

The black-haired man raises his eyebrows. Seems he didn't expect Jack to go back to that topic. The answer slowly forms in his mind as he picks up his queen. He doesn't set it down on the board just yet, instead fiddling with it in his hands.

"You know, that hit five years ago. You were fucking perfect. Flawless. Undetectable."

"It was my worst job. I had a fucking witness." Jack snaps his head back up, glaring at Dark. He's pretty sure the other man is avoiding his question.

"I was there. I saw you do it."

The green-haired man feels like the time itself freezes in place with those words.

He's looked at the black-haired man so many times, he's memorised every single detail about his face. There's not a single expression he hasn't seen the face make, not a single reflection he hasn't seen in the eyes, not a single vowel he hasn't seen the lips form. But it still takes him a while to imagine how it could've looked like all those years ago. Wearing an expression he wouldn't expect.

"You were right." He whispers. "I didn't even bother with you." Memories flood back into his mind and he wishes he still had his trusty gun by his side. His broken hand twitches to pull the nonexistent trigger, though he can't even make up his mind who he'd actually shoot.

"I am glad you can remember it. Let me ask you, then. Why didn't you kill me back then?"

"I went only after my targets. Why should I bother with some bystander that looked like he had enough crap in his pants not to speak to the police?"

After so long, Dark gives him one of his lazy smiles again that is supposed to hint some deeper emotion. The queen goes back to its place on the chessboard and Jack would normally laugh at the move which consists of only one square if he wasn't so conflicted internally.

"I was sent to watch over you. Make sure you do your job right." The black-haired man "Don't you want to know why I'm the one talking to you?"

Jack looks at his own queen. Two moves, considering taking down that annoying pawn. He returns the sly expression.

"Not really. I'm not interested in the way you gutted the old man." A bishop gets rid of Dark's piece that was about to reach the last row. "Okay, last chance, big boy. Why should I stay and not leave right here and now?"

It's almost adorable to watch him knit his eyebrows in a mix of confusion, irritation and discontent. Jack likes to think it's only because he thought he's still playing with the "dumb Jack McLoughlin, a regular citizen who did nothing wrong" and not because of his question. Can be both, but only one feels satisfying enough.

"Apart from the fact that you're still bound to the chair, I won't let you." Dark thinks he's so smart, taking revenge on the bishop that has ruined his plans. He doesn't even seem to see what's about to happen on the chessboard. "I can give you anything. If a feeling is what you want, I assure you, I know exactly what you need." His voice drops low, even if it's naturally already a rich baritone. "How can you refuse?"

Jack sighs long and loud in an almost theatrical way. The ropes on his ankles slid off a long time ago, somewhere mid-conversation. So he casually gets up and slides his queen across the board to a place where Dark's king meets his doom.

"I'll think about that." He says with a smile and when he hears two grunts approach him from behind, he waits for them to get close enough. Dark doesn't even move from his place, so the green-haired man easily elbows one of the men in the stomach and pushes the other away just to deliver a kick that immobilises him afterwards. He'd love to fight a bit more but his injured hand keeps him from engaging in a fistfight.

Dark stares at him like he's just grown seven heads. Again, there's something charming about that look. So Jack walks around the table and pats him on the back.

"Do you seriously think you're the one in charge here?"

**Author's Note:**

> It's way too long. It started as a small idea but then plot happened.


End file.
